Chapter 140 - 140: I Can Sponsor You
For Yoko, cooking was a way to relieve mental stress.
It was a peaceful and soothing activity for her.
But once the cooking was done, eating alone always felt a little empty, a little lonely.
Now, with another person at the table, that emptiness and loneliness from the past seemed to fade away.
The feeling was different.
It was like when she used to eat with her parents.
"Hehe~"
As she thought about it, Yoko couldn't help but laugh softly.
Looking up, she met Ren's puzzled gaze from across the table. Instead of continuing to eat, she simply smiled at him with a gentle expression.
"I was just remembering the times I used to eat with my parents."
"But now, because of work, I don't get to see them as often."
"Besides... I don't want my work to bring them unnecessary trouble."
A hint of helplessness crossed Yoko's face as she spoke.
"Fanatical fans?"
Yoko nodded with a troubled expression.
"My parents actually had to move once because of issues caused by my work."
"Back then, I had just started gaining fame and had some money saved up. So, I helped them buy a better house in an upscale neighborhood in another city."
"After they moved, those obsessive fans finally stopped sending stacks of love letters, sometimes as many as 900 at a time to my parents."
"But because of that, I have to be extra cautious every time I visit them."
"The community they live in has security, so I'm not too worried about break-ins. But I really don't want anyone camping outside their building."
Even though Yoko understood that this kind of fan behavior was a sign of how much they liked her, she would rather deal with it herself than have her parents go through it.
"Fanatical fans really are a hassle."
Ren sighed.
But he had seen even crazier cases.
Sometimes, devoted fans ended up getting their own idols arrested because of their extreme behavior.
To put it simply, some fans were truly insane.
"Sometimes... yeah."
Even though Yoko didn't want to condemn her fans' devotion, she couldn't argue against that point.
She could endure the attention of fanatical fans.
But her parents couldn't.
Letting out a small sigh, Yoko shook her head and pushed those thoughts aside.
At least now her parents were living in another city, safe from the harassment of her more extreme fans.
"So, how was your trip this weekend?"
"It was fine, the island was relatively quiet."
"But honestly, skipping that island might've been the right call for you."
Yoko, who had been in a good mood, suddenly froze.
"That island... Something happened?"
"Something big."
"A large number of drug dealers were discovered there. The Metropolitan Police Department had been keeping an eye on the island for a while."
"It just so happened that I walked right into it."
"No way!"
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Yoko was so shocked that she covered her mouth.
The island where she had planned to vacation for the weekend—was actually a place the police had been investigating for a long time?
"Did the police take action this weekend?"
Ren nodded slightly.
"This... is way too unlucky."
Yoko sighed. She realized that if the Metropolitan Police had been operating there, then Ren Amamiya probably couldn't enjoy the sights of Tsukikage Island properly.
"Yeah, pretty much."
"The hot spring hotel I stayed at was on lockdown as soon as I checked in. They said it was to prevent drug dealers from escaping."
That meant Ren had barely left the hot spring hotel during his entire stay on Tsukikage Island.
That was definitely unfortunate.
"But in the end, it worked out pretty well for me."
Although the situation on Tsukikage Island had disrupted his weekend plans, Ren had already anticipated that there might be casualties during his trip.
But instead of a murder case, it turned out to be a major drug bust.
The process was different from what he had expected, but the outcome wasn't bad at all.
Ultimately, he had gained a new "sefirot."
It was just that the incident on Tsukikage Island had been so massive that it caused a major ripple effect—especially among those who held the diary.
And thanks to that, he had reaped the maximum benefits.
Even Ren himself was somewhat surprised by the result.
He had been expecting to obtain a Sequence 8 potion.
But instead, he had gotten something even beyond a Sequence.
That was a major leap.
"What kind of work were you doing over there?"
Yoko subconsciously touched her neck. The bruises were nearly gone now, and her long vacation was coming to an end.
"I still have to continue working."
"But I need to be more careful about the agency moving forward."
The whole ordeal with her agency had been a serious wake-up call.
It made her realize that the company that had helped her rise to fame was, at the end of the day, still a business.
And businesses existed to make money.
"Are you thinking of buying out your contract?"
"Yeah."
For any female artist, their contract was essentially an indenture agreement. Buying out their contract without fulfilling its terms required an enormous sum of money.
Every female artist had probably considered breaking free from their agency at some point.
Even if it meant losing some resources or declining in popularity, at least they would be free.
They would also have more control over their work and schedule.
But buying herself out of the contract was proving to be a headache for Yoko.
"Even if I do buy myself out, without the right connections, even a popular artist will fade into obscurity quickly."
"Plus, if a female artist has a messy split with her agency, it can cause a lot of public backlash."
"That would be another big problem."
"That's why, usually, even if a female artist wants to leave, they try to end things amicably with their old agency."
"Buying out a contract rarely happens. Most female artists just wait until their contract expires and then negotiate with their former agency."
Ren could more or less understand the situation.
Female artists were groomed by their agencies step by step. If they left, there would inevitably be a lot of complications.
After all, female artists in this country still had a relatively weak position in the industry. They didn't have much power in these situations.
"What if a female artist became a shareholder in the agency?"
"...If that were possible, the cost would be even higher than just buying out my contract."
"Besides, my agency is doing pretty well right now. If I wanted to buy enough shares to have a say in management, I'd need at least 200 to 300 million yen."
"No matter how hard I work, it'd take me at least seven or eight years to save up that kind of money."
"That's two or three times the cost of my contract buyout."
"It's just not worth it."
Yoko felt that if she had that much money, she wouldn't spend it on buying shares just to become a stakeholder in her own agency.
That would just be like hiring herself as an artist with her own money.
After hearing her response, Ren nodded slightly.
Then, he casually took out a bank card from his pocket.
"I can sponsor you."
"300 million yen—enough to buy shares in your agency and make you a major shareholder."